In the first initiative of its kind in the country, the Haryana state government has prepared an innovative scheme of providing Light Emitting Diode (LED)-based Solar Table Lamps called ‘Shikshadeep´to girl students in rural areas who are find it difficult to study due to power failure.The spokesman said girl students in schools in villages, who would top in their annual examination of 5th, 8th, 10th and 12th class, would be provided Shikshadeep free of cost.

During 2008-09, about 18,810 girl students would be provided with these lamps.The state government has earmarked Rs3 crore for this purpose. “Shikshadeep” is basically a portable lighting device which works for 4-5 hours daily, a spokesman of Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (Hareda) said.

The lamp and battery would be warranted for five years and the solar panel for ten years. The approximate cost of one such lamp is Rs1,600, he said.

The spokesman said Hareda has also decided to provide one solar educational kit per school in all the 3,000 secondary schools in the state on demonstration basis to popularise Photo Voltaic (PV) technology among the students. The cost of these kits would be shared by the state and central government in the ratio of 50:50.